They’re the ones who eagerly await product launches with the fervour of die-hard fans at a concert, who proudly sport brand insignias as badges of honour, and who defend their chosen brand against all detractors. Admittedly, achieving this extreme level of brand fandom is rare, and not every retailer can pull it off. But for those who can, a whole new world of success awaits. The question, of course, is how? The answer encompasses charismatic leaders, a close connection with customers, and the innovative use of customer feedback. It takes more than selling out your products, going viral on social media, or landing a famous ambassador to create true brand fans. The secret lies in brand storytelling: the art of weaving together emotion, narrative, and identity to captivate audiences and forge lasting bonds. It’s about articulating not just what a brand does, but why it exists, what it stands for, and why it matters. Let’s look at a recent example by the US-based luggage brand Béis. Over the past couple of years, Béis has built a cult following for its aesthetic, functional and affordable luggage. The brand, lauded by celebrities and influencers worldwide, recently came under fire when customers complained about their beautiful luggage quickly becoming dirty and scuffed after use. This is where Béis turned customer feedback into a stroke of marketing genius. The brand didn’t shy away from the critique, it embraced it. As a result, the Béis Wash was born – a whimsical pop-up store where customers could bring their well-travelled bags for a complimentary wash and shine. In addition to getting their bags cleaned, customers could shop new products from both and partner brands that had teamed up with Béis for this marketing event. The campaign was a success. It went viral on social media, with customers applauding the brand’s proactive approach to addressing consumer concerns and showcasing its commitment to customer satisfaction. In the end, it didn’t matter whether customers could experience the Béis Wash for themselves (the pop-up was available only in Los Angeles) – audiences far and wide had seen that the brand had created a unique and enjoyable experience for customers. This is a great example of how feedback – positive or negative – can be used to create customer experiences that reinforce brand loyalty. This type of brand experience shows customers that their opinion matters to you, not just because it serves your bottom line, but because you want to please them. To win true fans, brands must learn how to enter their customers’ world in an authentic and meaningful way. Béis did this expertly by identifying an opportunity to add further value to the customer experience, showing that the brand cared about their lived experience enough to take action. When you use customer feedback to inform your decisions, you let your audience know that you are not only listening to them but adjusting your business based on their wants and needs. This approach is particularly powerful for CEOs and founders who have built their brand by being personable, authentic and connected to their community. Take Béis founder Shay Mitchell. Her personal brand is seamlessly intertwined with Béis’. Using platforms such as TikTok and Instagram, she takes her audience along as she creates new products and provides insight into the realities of being a business owner. As a result, she has cultivated a reputation for being relatable and connected to her audience. This personal brand only amplifies the allure of Béis and encourages brand loyalty, as customers feel a personal connection and allegiance to both Béis and Mitchell herself. Another great example of the power of authenticity in brand building can be seen in Australia’s own Zoë Foster Blake, founder of Go-To Skincare. Foster Blake’s personal brand is inextricably tethered to Go-To. She is seen by many as a skincare expert and an honest and transparent voice for customers seeking affordable and effective products. This reputation for being attentive and transparent helped win Go-To brand fans last year, when she didn’t shy away from pre-emptively addressing customer concerns head-on. After years of vowing never to release eye creams, which Foster Blake described as “tiny pots of very expensive moisturiser”, Go-To announced that it was launching what it described as an “eye serum”. For a company and founder known for their honesty and trustworthiness, this easily had the potential to look like selling out. However, Foster Blake was able to get ahead of this potential PR nightmare before it began, by owning her past claims and providing insight into the decision-making process. In a blog post on the brand’s website, she explained that while this latest product may look like an eye cream, its serum formulation makes it “sink into the skin quicker and contains potent actives”. She even went so far as to say that while creating the product, “my directive was clear: it had better bloody work.” To Go-To brand fans, Foster Blake’s word is gold. This simple yet powerful statement not only reassured customers that the product would be worth their money, but it reaffirmed that Go-To’s ethos and values remained the same. Foster Blake’s connection with her audience allowed her to anticipate how best to tackle the potential problem. If she hadn’t addressed what looked to many like a branding backflip, she would have run the risk of breaking the trust between customers and her brand. While the subject of eye cream might seem trivial to the uninitiated, to Go-To’s skincare-obsessed brand fans, it was a huge issue. Not only did Foster Blake’s response allow her to sidestep any criticism, it also reinforced the trust and transparency that earned her devoted customers in the first place – and even gave her a chance to market her new product’s point of difference in the process. For business owners like Mitchell and Foster Blake, demonstrating a genuine understanding of customer needs and expectations is a big drawcard for devoted brand fans. But with great power comes great responsibility, leaving absolutely no room for error. When you position yourself as a relatable and authentic brand leader, you cannot afford to ignore your audience. Both leaders have done great jobs at turning potential PR nightmares into examples of marketing ingenuity, but if Mitchell hadn’t used customer criticism to improve Béis, or if Foster Blake had turned a blind eye to what she had promised in the past, they would have risked alienating their devoted fans. Building brand fans requires brands and their ambassadors to show up authentically and transparently, always – not just when it suits them. Positive feedback is equally instrumental in nurturing brand devotion. Whether it’s glowing reviews (just make sure they are current and real), soaring sales figures, or enthusiastic social media endorsements, good feedback validates a brand’s impact and reinforces its connection with consumers. The best part is that every brand has access to this valuable data, whether it’s through social listening, media monitoring, Google Alerts, or basic website and business analytics. By sharing this positive feedback, you are letting your audience know that they are part of a big group of devoted customers. This permits them to share their love for your product publicly (‘everyone else is doing it’), creates FOMO, and invites people to be part of a group of people who have brand fandom in common. After all, everyone wants to belong. Perhaps the most potent tool in cultivating brand fandom lies in celebrating the customers themselves. By spotlighting user-generated content and showcasing real-life examples of brand engagement, companies like Miss Amara and Kmart show how brands can create a sense of community and belonging among their audience. By capitalising on the hashtag #KmartFinds, Kmart transforms everyday customers into brand ambassadors, fostering a sense of camaraderie that is invaluable when it comes to keeping people engaged and devoted to the brand. While marketing and customer connection are invaluable in the quest to nurture dedicated brand fans, let’s not forget another essential element: the product or service you’re offering. For retailers, brand fandom is often directly tied to the products they create. The best way to create brand fans through your products is to have signature products that are central to your brand’s core identity. From here, you can produce regular updated releases to drive hype and engagement. Think Chanel’s classic flap bag, which has stood the test of time for decades, but is bolstered by the brand continuously releasing seasonal lines that provide something fresh for customers to enjoy. Then there’s Swedish furniture brand IKEA, which always has its trusty BILLY bookcase in stock, but makes sure to showcase something new for returning customers to enjoy on every visit. Devoted brand fans are found at the intersection of value, authenticity, connection, and innovation. Fandom is all about building an emotional connection, having fun, and relating on a deeper level with your customers. It’s about more than just selling products. It’s forging connections, telling stories, and creating experiences that resonate on a deeply personal level. If your brand can prove it cares about fans’ wants, needs and desires, they’ll repay you tenfold. This story first appeared in the May 2024 issue of Inside Retail Australia magazine.